Sojourners - New Yorkhttp://www.sojo.net/taxonomy/term/6472/0
enBear Mountain http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2015/01/bear-mountain
<p>Five boys and one quiet honest wry excellent priest.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2015/01/bear-mountain" target="_blank">read more</a></p>CapuchinFranciscanNew YorkpriesthoodSeminaryFaith and SpiritualityLife and PeaceFeatureMon, 08 Dec 2014 21:33:59 +0000Brian Doyle63231 at http://www.sojo.netNo Nukes! http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2015/01/no-nukes
<p>This Spring, thousands will gather in New York to say no to nuclear weapons.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2015/01/no-nukes" target="_blank">read more</a></p>MobilizationsNew YorkNPTNPT ReviewNuclear WeaponsU.N.Global IssuesLife and PeaceCommentaryMon, 08 Dec 2014 17:45:17 +0000Joseph Gerson63176 at http://www.sojo.netCOMMENTARY: Cardinal John O'Connor Would Have Made a Great Rabbihttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/05/22/commentary-cardinal-john-oconnor-would-have-made-great-rabbi
<p>In April 1908, Dorothy Gumple, a 19-year-old Jewish woman living in Connecticut, converted to Roman Catholicism. Less than two years, later she married a Catholic immigrant from Ireland. They and their five children lived in Philadelphia where her husband was a lifelong trade union member. It is not exactly the stuff global news stories are made of.</p><p>Except this: Their fourth child became the world-famous archbishop of New York, Cardinal John J. O’Connor, who served in that position from 1984 until his death in 2000.</p><div id="attachment_71703">Last month, in the Catholic New York newspaper, the cardinal’s 87-year-old sister, Mary, revealed the story of their mother’s conversion for the first time, and claimed she and her brother “did not know [our] mother was Jewish.” The O’Connor children “presumed that she had converted from another Christian religion.”</div><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/05/22/commentary-cardinal-john-oconnor-would-have-made-great-rabbi" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Cardinal John O'ConnorCatholicDiversityGod's PoliticsJewishNew YorkRacial and Social JusticeThu, 22 May 2014 21:05:13 +0000Rabbi A. James Rudin 54293 at http://www.sojo.netRound Up the Usual Suspectshttp://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/02/round-usual-suspects
<p>"Stop and frisk" is unconstitutional race-based harassment—and it must end.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/02/round-usual-suspects" target="_blank">read more</a></p>arrestDiversityfriskharassmentNew YorkPoliceprofilingRacial and Social JusticeRacismstopunconstitutionalCommentarySat, 04 Jan 2014 04:37:54 +0000Derrick Boykin52183 at http://www.sojo.netSupreme Court to Consider Religious Prayer At Government Meetingshttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/11/01/supreme-court-consider-religious-prayer-government-meetings
<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">WASHINGTON — In a case that could determine restrictions on expressions of faith in the public square, the Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider religious prayers that convene government meetings.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">At issue in&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/12-696.htm" href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/12-696.htm" target="_blank">Greece v. Galloway</a>&nbsp;is whether such invocations pass constitutional muster, even when government officials are not purposefully proselytizing or discriminating.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Can a town council, for example, open its meetings with prayers invoking Jesus Christ, as happened repeatedly in the town of Greece, N.Y.?</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“There’s a whole lot at stake here,” said Ira Lupu, a law professor at George Washington University who specializes in the First Amendment’s religion clauses.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“This case is about first principles: whether the government of a town, acting through its town board, can advance a particular brand of Christianity or any other faith,” said Lupu.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">On the other side of the question, Jeff Mateer of the Texas-based&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="http://www.libertyinstitute.org/" href="http://www.libertyinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Liberty Institute</a>&nbsp;invokes free speech rights and hopes the court will reason that government has no business parsing the words of those who wish to pray in a public forum.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/11/01/supreme-court-consider-religious-prayer-government-meetings" target="_blank">read more</a></p>ChurchChurch and StateGod's PoliticsGreeceNew YorkPrayerRacial and Social Justicestatesurpreme courtFaith and PoliticsFri, 01 Nov 2013 14:16:45 +0000Lauren Markoe51144 at http://www.sojo.net'American Promise' Film Documents Two Black Families Navigating Education in Americahttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/31/american-promise-film-documents-two-black-families-navigating-education-america
<p><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">American Promise</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;spans 13 years as Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, middle-class&nbsp;</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">African-American parents in Brooklyn, N.Y., turn their cameras on their son, Idris, and his best&nbsp;</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">friend, Seun, who make their way through one of the most prestigious private schools in the&nbsp;</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">country. Chronicling the boys’ divergent paths from kindergarten through high school graduation&nbsp;</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">at Manhattan’s Dalton School, the documentary presents complicated&nbsp;</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">truths about America’s struggle to come of age on issues of race, class, and opportunity.&nbsp;</span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">American Promise&nbsp;</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">is a</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">n&nbsp;</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Official Selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.</span></p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/knFReWtLkgc" width="420"></iframe></p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/31/american-promise-film-documents-two-black-families-navigating-education-america" target="_blank">read more</a></p>12 Years a Slave: A Conversation on Raceafrican americaAmericaboybrooklynEducationGod's PoliticsMiddle classNew Yorkprivate schoolRaceRacial and Social JusticeEconomic JusticeQuick ReadThu, 31 Oct 2013 16:15:20 +0000the Web Editors51135 at http://www.sojo.netStephen Colbert on Pope Francis, Cardinal Dolan and (of Course) Stephen Colberthttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/18/stephen-colbert-pope-francis-cardinal-dolan-and-course-stephen-colbert
<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The great and the good — and lots of politicians and TV pundits, too — gathered Thursday to hear comedian Stephen Colbert roast and toast everyone from Pope Francis to his host for the evening, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The 68th annual Al Smith Dinner, named for the first Catholic presidential candidate in American history, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel raised $3 million for New York’s neediest children.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Colbert is a lifelong Catholic, a man who is, as Alfred E. Smith IV said in introducing him, “serious about both his craft and his Catholic faith.” The cardinal — who is also pretty funny — and the comedian first met last fall, and Colbert&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="http://www.religionnews.com/2013/10/09/12-best-catholic-quips-stephen-colbert-pope-basic-cable/" href="http://www.religionnews.com/2013/10/09/12-best-catholic-quips-stephen-colbert-pope-basic-cable/" target="_blank">had Dolan on his show last month</a>. So the archbishop of New York returned the favor by having Colbert headline the dinner.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/18/stephen-colbert-pope-francis-cardinal-dolan-and-course-stephen-colbert" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Al Smith DinnerAlfred E. Smith IVcardinal timothy dolanCatholicGod's PoliticsHumanae VitaeJohn KerryNew Yorkpope francisStephen ColbertWaldorf AstoriaCultureCulture WatchLife and PeaceFri, 18 Oct 2013 20:49:19 +0000David Gibson50936 at http://www.sojo.netA Controversial Broadway Play on the Virgin Mary closes Why?http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/05/08/controversial-broadway-play-virgin-mary-closes-why
<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">NEW YORK — A Tony-nominated play that offered a controversial take on the Virgin Mary reflecting on her life held its final performance on Sunday, closing after only two weeks as poor ticket sales never matched high expectations.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Now the question is: Why?</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Shows fold on Broadway all the time, of course, and as&nbsp;<em>The New York Times</em>&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/the-testament-of-toibin-a-tony-nod-and-a-closing-notice/" href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/the-testament-of-toibin-a-tony-nod-and-a-closing-notice/" target="_blank">noted</a>, just 25 percent of them ever show a profit. But was there something about&nbsp;<em>The Testament of Mary</em>&nbsp;that doomed it to failure?</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">After all, biblically themed shows are all the rage on television and especially on cable; the recent History Channel miniseries&nbsp;<em>The Bible</em>&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="http://business.time.com/2013/04/01/behind-the-hit-bible-miniseries-the-man-who-helps-hollywood-get-religion/" href="http://business.time.com/2013/04/01/behind-the-hit-bible-miniseries-the-man-who-helps-hollywood-get-religion/" target="_blank">generated huge ratings</a>, and a host of shows and films are trying to explore — and perhaps exploit — similar territory.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/05/08/controversial-broadway-play-virgin-mary-closes-why" target="_blank">read more</a></p>broadwayGod's PoliticsNew YorkscandalousTestament of MaryTheatervirgin maryCulture WatchWed, 08 May 2013 14:22:29 +0000David Gibson48315 at http://www.sojo.netAn American Pope?http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/02/12/american-pope
<p class="p1">NEW YORK — Walk the streets of Manhattan, especially around St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and ask passersby about Cardinal Timothy Dolan and two things stand out: one, they know who you’re talking about, and two, they like him. Often love him.</p><p class="p1">Both responses are unusual in the U.S. today: generally, Catholic churchmen are either interchangeable faces to the public, or, if they are known, it’s because of an unflattering headline.</p><p class="p1">Now Dolan’s extraordinary visibility and popularity are being cited as factors that could make him the first American with a realistic shot at being elected pope when the College of Cardinals gathers in March to elect a successor to Benedict XVI.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/02/12/american-pope" target="_blank">read more</a></p>cardinal timothy dolanCatholic ChurchGod's PoliticsNew PopeNew YorkpopeRacial and Social JusticeUSCCBFaith and PoliticsWed, 13 Feb 2013 01:22:13 +0000David Gibson46695 at http://www.sojo.netAnti-abortion Priest Frank Pavone is Back With Eyes on Obama, Bishopshttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/10/17/anti-abortion-priest-frank-pavone-back-eyes-obama-bishops
<p class="p1">NEW YORK — A year ago, the Rev. Frank Pavone was facing an existential crisis in the unlikeliest of places.</p><p class="p1">The longtime head of the anti-abortion group Priests for Life, Pavone had been confined to the Diocese of Amarillo by his bishop, Patrick J. Zurek, who sent a letter to every other U.S. bishop declaring that he had&nbsp;<a href="http://www.religionnews.com/politics/government-and-politics/catholic-anti-abortion-group-has-large-debts" target="_blank"><span class="s1">so many concerns about the group’s $10 million budget</span></a>&nbsp;that Pavone shouldn’t be trusted with donors’ money.</p><p class="p1">Pavone’s backers were stunned, and many stopped giving, which only exacerbated the problems that helped get Priests for Life into trouble in the first place. Pavone also couldn’t go on the road to reassure funders and drum up desperately needed cash.</p><p class="p1">Instead, the New York-born priest was stuck in a convent in the Texas panhandle where he served as chaplain to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dljc.org/english/index.cfm?active=1" target="_blank"><span class="s1">an order of nuns in a place called Prayer Town</span></a>, a virtual prisoner in a war of words with Zurek, who had blasted his “incorrigible defiance of my legitimate authority as his bishop.”</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/10/17/anti-abortion-priest-frank-pavone-back-eyes-obama-bishops" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Abortionanti-abortionDiocese of AmarilloFrank PavoneGod's PoliticsNew YorkPriests for LifePro-lifeRacial and Social JusticeStaten IslandFaith and PoliticsWed, 17 Oct 2012 17:56:14 +0000David Gibson44545 at http://www.sojo.net